- All-new third-generation EcoDiesel engine offers 480 lb-ft of torque, best for a half-ton diesel
- Towing capacity up to 12,560 pounds, best for a half-ton diesel
- Available in all new Ram 1500 trim levels, including base Tradesman and off-road Rebel
- Priced as a $4,995 option over V6, $3,000-$3,300 over V8
- Pricing starts at $36,890, plus $1,695 destination
In 2014, Ram revived the half-ton diesel engine market with its first-generation EcoDiesel, which at the time was the only way you could get anything smaller than a 3/4-ton pickup with a turbodiesel under the hood. Fast-forward to late 2019, and the landscape the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel faces is very different. Now, not only does the F-150 have a diesel engine option, but Chevrolet and GMC will have diesel Silverados and Sierras, in addition to its diesel compact/midsize Colorados and Canyons.
Can Ram come back and retake the leadership role it once had? We went to Duluth, Minnesota, to drive the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, to see if it can pass muster against the competition.
Driving the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
The Ram 1500 stands out from the rest of the half-tons on the market with its combination of capability, comfort and technology. This generation Ram was all-new for 2019, and is the most luxurious, most capable and most technologically advanced truck Ram has ever made. It would behoove Ram to make sure the next generation of its diesel truck would meet the high expectations that the 1500 sets.
Good news: It does.
It begins when you start the truck. There’s very little noise coming from the 3.0-liter, 260-hp, 480 lb-ft V6 EcoDiesel. It emits a muted burble, just enough that you know it’s a diesel, but it’s such a soft purr there’s no question about the engine’s refinement. There are no rattles. There is no diesel smell. The strongest evidence that you are in a diesel-powered truck is in how it drives. Acceleration comes on strong and with confidence, without any noticeable lag. It feels more like a smooth, steady launch than the neck-bending sensation of a powerful gas engine.
The newly recalibrated 8-speed automatic transmission works nicely with the EcoDiesel. You initially use a knob control on the dash for Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive, but can manually control gears with pushbuttons on the steering wheel. We never felt that the truck was in the wrong gear, and shifts were smooth and predictable. Both the F-150 and the Silverado back their diesel engines with a 10-speed automatic, but we didn’t feel deprived when driving the Ram with the 8-speed.
Towing with the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is a breeze. We took out a 5,100-pound trailer behind a Laramie Longhorn, and power delivery and transmission shift points were spot on. Visibility was very good, and we were happy with the size of the side mirrors – which isn’t something to be taken for granted. The rest of the driving experience with the Ram EcoDiesel is just as good as with the entire Ram 1500 line: The ride is comfortable, the interior offers luxury-like materials and quality, and the class-leading tech is easy to use.
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Which half-ton diesel is the most capable?
Ram hasn’t announced all of the specifications yet for the 2020 EcoDiesel, but from what we know right now, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel leads the pack in a few key categories. Its 480 lb-ft of torque is the most you can get in a half-ton diesel, and its 12,560-pound towing capacity is the highest of any half-ton diesel. However, the Silverado’s 3.0-liter Duramax puts out the most horsepower of the three, at 277. Ram hasn’t announced official payload numbers for the new EcoDiesel yet, but the number to beat is the F-150 PowerStroke’s 1,900 pounds. (Ram offered an estimate of 1,740-2,040 pounds, which means this truck has the potential to have the best payload of any half-ton diesel.) Ram also hasn’t announced fuel economy for the EcoDiesel, but the company expects it to be the best in the segment. The high mark right now is the Silverado diesel’s 33 highway mpg.
Bottom line: the Silverado diesel has the most horsepower, the lowest towing capacity and the best fuel economy (so far). The Ram EcoDiesel has the most torque and the highest towing capacity. The F-150 PowerStroke offers the lowest horsepower and torque, with the highest payload capacity (so far). We’ll know more once Ram releases the rest of the official numbers on the EcoDiesel, but it has the potential to offer the best towing, payload, torque, and fuel economy.
How has the EcoDiesel changed?
About 80 percent of this 3.0-liter, 260-horsepower V6 engine is all-new. The improvements Ram set its sights on focused on fuel efficiency and keeping noise to a minimum. There are new intake ports, designed to improve fuel economy. The water-cooled turbocharger uses variable turbine geometry, which adjusts how the turbocharger performs based on engine speed, improving performance and efficiency. Engineers redesigned the pistons to reduce friction. In the exhaust gas recirculation system, they reduced losses by incorporating a low-pressure circulation system after the diesel particulate filter, which reduces loss and improves efficiency (and fuel economy). There are some changes to the engine that improve NVH (noise, vibration, harshness), as well as use of a vibration-damping baffle in the oil sump. Like all other diesels on the market, the EcoDiesel uses Diesel Exhaust Fluid, which can be refilled via a separate filler behind the fuel-filler door. Refills should coordinate nicely with regularly scheduled maintenance.
Where is the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel built?
All 2020 Ram 1500 trucks will be built in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The EcoDiesel engine is built at the FCA Cento facility in Ferrara, Italy.
When does the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel go on sale?
The 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is expected to go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2019. Interestingly, those who want to get the previous EcoDiesel will still have that option in the Ram Classic, which will be sold side by side with the new Ram later this year.
What models can you get the EcoDiesel in?
When the 2020 Ram 1500 goes on sale, you’ll be able to get the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel in Quad Cab and Crew Cab body styles, in the Tradesman, Big Horn, Lone Star, Rebel, Laramie, Laramie Longhorn and Limited trims.
The biggest news for off-road enthusiasts, though, is the first-time availability of a diesel engine in the Rebel. Ram shoppers who always have an eye toward the dirt and rocks have two choices of specialized truck to choose from – the half-ton Rebel and the ¾-ton Power Wagon – both of which had been available only with a gas engine.
Now the decision gets tougher: Do you choose the bigger, rugged Power Wagon with a gas engine or the excellent Rebel, which has a 3.92 axle ratio and the EcoDiesel, which allows for low-rpm crawling off-road? Pricing will likely be a big part of this decision for buyers, as the least expensive 2019 Power Wagon you can get is $54,955. The Rebel could prove to be a better value.
Value for the money
Speaking of value, pricing for the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel will start at $38,585 (including destination). That price is for a two-wheel-drive Quad Cab Tradesman and represents a $3,000-$3,300 premium – depending on model — above the 5.7-liter V8, or a $4,995 option. The least expensive Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Double Cab with the 3.0-liter Duramax inline-6 is expected to be around $42,000, and the least expensive 2019 F-150 SuperCab with the PowerStroke is around $48,000. Ram will still sell the Ram Classic with the previous EcoDiesel, but the least expensive version of that is the two-wheel-drive Crew Cab, for about $41,000.
If you’re debating getting a 2020 Ram 1500 with the EcoDiesel or the gas V6 or V8, consider this: For that added cost of the diesel at the dealer, you get towing capacity that’s within 10 pounds of the V8, payload capacity that may be near the best you can get in a Ram 1500, with fuel economy that could rival that of a V6, and a fuel range that, based on some estimates, could be 1,000 miles. On a single tank.
Ram’s new diesel engine is more powerful, more capable, and offers a better value. You can’t ask for much more than that.
